Spring had sprung, and the internet was aglow with oodles of cute duckling photos. If you are like me, then you probably call Tractor Supply and the Co-Op regularly to check if there is poultry in stock, so you can ogle the baby birds and dream of having a flock of your own. This year, chicks and ducklings were in high demand, with poultry literally “flying off the shelf” within hours of getting settled into the pine shavings of their temporary feed trough. I experienced numerous disappointing trips to Tractor Supply, excited to hear the peeps, only to be let down by an empty brooder still warm after the sale. Maybe it was for the best, though, because I ended up buying every book and magazine on ducks in stock and even impulsively diversified my flock dreams by adding goslings and turkey poults.
In the beginning, we had only planned on a small starter flock of six ducks. But, when my husband held a tiny Khaki Campbell in his hand, he melted. We began an enthusiastic negotiation over which breeds were best for our farm. I had read that Indian Runner ducks were widely used for pest control in vineyards and orchards. Since this breed doesn’t fly well, the thought of little bowling pins zooming around the vineyard appealed to me. My husband, on the other hand, was charmed by videos of chatty call ducks and their miniature, chubby, dove-like appearance. Because the best negotiations resolve with both parties mutually satisfied, I ordered each of us our very own flock of Call ducks and Indian Runner ducks in a variety of colors. A quick search online and through social media channels led me to Metzer Farms, a family hatchery with facilities both in Gonzales, California, and Memphis, Tennessee. If it is at all possible that the duality of two things (a blessing and an overabundance of temptation) can exist and be true at the same time, then I would point anyone on the search for a diverse flock in that direction. Their website is incredibly thorough, specializing in waterfowl, including 32 breeds of ducks and 13 breeds of geese. Metzer Farms also provides breed charts with information ranging from temperament, weight, APA class, foraging ability, to flying ability. The vast amount of options, including sexed and straight-run ducklings, ended up being a bit overstimulating for me, and I filled up my online cart with a plethora of beautiful birds blissfully ignoring the red flags and warnings that popped up in various Facebook groups.
When it came time to discuss shipping dates and the construction of the duck house, that is when reality reared its ugly head and burst my dream bubble of fields of free-ranging ducks. The first issue that arose was my husband’s concern that our planned duck house had morphed into a duck barn. He patiently sat down with me and looked at my loaded online cart, then helped me narrow down our flock goals to a manageable number. It was hard to let go. Planning around the golden hen to drake ratio (5:1), we agreed that Silver Appleyards and Welsh Harlequins would not only be an attractive addition to our regenerative farming practices but also have the optimal temperament to become family pets. I would give a five-star rating to Metzer Farms for helping us evaluate the best duck breeds for our needs, and also making it incredibly easy to navigate order changes and arrange shipping dates online. While Customer Service is available, I was able to alter and tailor our order online until I got it exactly right for us. That included later adding a flock of Cayuga ducklings and a flock of Roman Tufted Geese to the mix, but that is a long story for another blog.
So, what happened to the original idea to add Indian Runner ducks to the muscadine vineyard? The absolute variety of color choices available rendered decision-making impossible. I ended up diving into the exhilarating world of hatching eggs and ordered from Greenlands Farm, a 3rd-generation homestead in North Carolina. I found their selection of rare and beautiful flocks, including the Gray (Mallard) Trout Indian Runner ducks, exciting. I had absolutely zero experience ordering ducklings from a private hatchery and zero experience hatching eggs. However, the customer service from this family farm was exceptional from the timely responses to my email inquiries, to the perfectly packed hatching eggs, to the personal handwritten note that came with the instructions. My first candling revealed no cracks in the eggs post-shipping. My second candling illuminated 19 of 18 ordered hatching eggs to be fertile and developing well. I can’t speak for all hatching eggs available online, but I had an excellent experience with Greensland Farm. Find out more about my hatching experience using the Harris Nurture Right 360 incubator in my hatching eggs blog.
The last experience I want to share is about ordering turkey poults from Cackle Hatchery. This was a bit of an impulse buy. My husband lured me to Tractor Supply on Easter by telling me they had turkey poults available. And like a fish on a tackle line, I took the bait. There I was staring into the feed trough that had been converted into an incubator, experiencing for the first time in my life a turkey poult. They were tiny, sleepy, and very cute. I knew right then and there, we had to raise turkeys on our regenerative farm. I wasn’t overly concerned about the type of turkey, just over the moon chasing impulsive thoughts of how fabulous it would be to have turkeys running around the yard. My husband put the brakes on my plans, but while he said ‘no’ right then, he didn’t appear opposed to the idea in general. “I want white turkeys,” he said. “Otherwise, how will we know if there are wild turkeys in the yard eating our fruit or if they are our turkeys?” He’d made an excellent point. So, I set forth on my mission to find the right turkey for our orchards. We settled on the Royal Palm Turkey. At the time, these exotic-looking poultry were only available at Cackle Hatchery. Cackle Hatchery is a 4th-generation family-owned operation in Lebanon, Missouri. To be honest, I was skeptical about ordering from them. I had seen an anonymous post floating around several of my Facebook poultry groups sharing a negative experience. I am not one to be deterred by anonymous critics on the internet, particularly when their opinions or malicious posts are followed by hundreds of Cackle Hatchery supporters sharing their own positive experiences in the comments feed. However, my doubts crept back in when it was challenging to communicate with customer service about adding additional turkey poults to my order. In hindsight, it was probably for the best. The arrival date came without a hitch. I received my mailing notifications and shortly thereafter four adorable, butter-yellow poults arrived in a well-ventilated, protective, and durable package. And, to my surprise and exceeding my expectations, the poults were alert, intelligent, and curious from the moment I settled them into their brooder. The posts and podcasts I had researched all claimed that turkey poults are notoriously difficult to raise, but these little unsexed gems have been the stars of our new flocks integrating themselves seamlessly into our daily activities. Check out my blog on raising turkey poults for more information.
All in all, as I sit here today, sharing this variety of experiences with you while I watch my feathered friends foraging around the yard, I feel blessed. I may have hedged my bet on adding healthy birds to our farm plan by ordering from reputable hatcheries, but sometimes genetics and shipping live animals can result in mishaps, disappointments, and heartbreaks. If you are Nashville-local and looking to add flocks to your homestead, but want to buy local, reach out to us! We are excited to offer our ducklings, goslings, and turkey poults. Head on over to our webpage, to see our beautiful flocks.
